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Incidence of latent infection of Epstein–Barr virus in lung cancers—an analysis of EBER1 expression in lung cancers by in situ hybridization
Author(s) -
Kasai Kiyoshi,
Sato Yuichi,
Kameya Toru,
Inoue Hayato,
Yoshimura Hirokuni,
Kon Shinichiro,
Kikuchi Kokichi
Publication year - 1994
Publication title -
the journal of pathology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.964
H-Index - 184
eISSN - 1096-9896
pISSN - 0022-3417
DOI - 10.1002/path.1711740405
Subject(s) - pathology , in situ hybridization , epstein–barr virus , lung cancer , cancer research , biology , cell , lymphoepithelioma like carcinoma , virus , virology , medicine , gene expression , gene , biochemistry , genetics
To evaluate the presence of Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) in lung cancers of Japanese patients, 81 lung cancers were examined using a highly sensitive in situ hybridization (ISH) method, employing an antisense oligonucleotide probe for EBV‐encoded small nuclear RNA‐1 (EBER). EBER1 expression was demonstrated in one poorly differentiated squamous cell carcinoma associated with marked lymphoid stroma (PDSCC‐LS), two well differentiated adenocarcinomas, and two moderately differentiated squamous cell carcinomas, but was not detectable in other lung cancers, including small cell carcinomas. Unlike lymphoepithelioma‐like undifferentiated carcinoma (LELC) of the lung, the PDSCC‐LS consisted of poorly differentiated cells with distinct cell borders and nuclei with a coarse chromatin pattern and some prominent nucleoli. Most of the cancer cells expressed intense EBER1 signals. Although small to moderate numbers of cells positive for EBER1 were present in two adenocarcinomas and two squamous cell carcinomas, EBER1 signals varied in intensity and number in these four cases. Although polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and Southern blot hybridization with a 32 P‐labelled probe internal to the primers were conducted to detect the EBV genome in 24 lung cancers, including five EBER1‐positive cases, the genome was found to be positive in the five cases with EBER1‐positive staining, including the PDSCC‐LS, two adenocarcinomas and two squamous cell carcinomas, but not in the other cases. This study indicates that the morphological features of EBV‐associated lung cancers are not restricted to the typical LELC type.